GameStop to Sell PC Hardware

[YeuEmMaiMai]

will it be opened? you know like everything else they have in inventory?

 

[DukenukemX]

I think DF did a video on this and it couldn’t perform as well as the console...

Yea but that's what you'd expect from hardware as far back as 2013. Also we're taking a console APU and sticking it into a PC. Linux on the PS4 playing PC games works pretty good all things considered.

 

[cybereality]

Not sure GS getting into PC building would make sense. I mean, I could see having pre-built options, maybe a single high/mid/low choice.

The thing is, I think for a lot of people, the building part of the PC is what is fun. Picking specific parts to tailor your build. That's the fun part for me.

If I just wanted a machine to play games, then getting a console is just cheaper and in most cases easier (Cyberpunk 2077 not withstanding).

 

[Axman]

The thing is, I think for a lot of people, the building part of the PC is what is fun. Picking specific parts to tailor your build. That's the fun part for me.

I do get every part of this, but sadly, for most people, they don't want options. They want two or three packages to pick from, so they can slot their purchases into whichever place they feel they need to put themselves into.

 

[Deleted member 89018]

I think DF did a video on this and it couldn’t perform as well as the console...

It wasn't the full xbox guts. The APU spec is the same, but it's missing the eSRAM and doesn't have nearly the same amount of available bandwidth. Anandtech got hold of some hardware and did tests:

https://www.anandtech.com/show/1633...on-an-xbox-one-s-apu-the-chuwi-aerobox-review

Interesting piece of kit, but not especially useful.

Still, the idea of a future APU with 8C/16T and RDNA 2 graphics, paired with at least dual channel DDR5-6400, paints a much nicer picture of what future APU performance could be. Iris Xe might benefit from that as well, but I don't think we'll know how well it scales with bandwidth until whatever lake launches on the desktop with it.

I really don't see discrete GPUs coming back to normal prices. If processors have onboard graphics that line up with what used to be a $150 GPU, then they might as well start discrete card pricing at $250 and call it entry level (Well, not counting whatever the current GT 710 equivalent is for the super low end, "i just need to add some video outputs to this workstation" market).

 

[Axman]

I really don't see discrete GPUs coming back to normal prices.

If this prediction bears fruit -- and I've thought it plenty as well -- discrete GPUs will become expensive, halo parts, along with discrete CPUs, with APUs taking up the entry level and middle tiers.

If that happens, it will bolster mobile parts, but only time will tell if it has a long-lasting effect on desktop.

I think a more stock approach to mobile makes sense, since you're dealing with a fixed display and fixed resolutions, but maybe not for desktop.

 

[Zepher]

Walked into Gamestop today and thought I was dreaming or stepped into a parallel universe.

just kidding, btw.

 

[GoldenTiger]

We carried PC hardware at EB in that time frame.

Yeah, I bought my voodoo 3 3000 cards and 9700 pro at electronics boutique.

 

[Neapolitan6th]

Walked into Gamestop today and thought I was dreaming or stepped into a parallel universe.
View attachment 343514just kidding, btw.

My jaw dropped

 

[Zepher]

My jaw dropped

well, pick it up since it's not real, lol

 

[GoldenTiger]

Never had that issue, but I generally don’t buy from third party sellers.

Doesn't matter if you select Amazon as the seller. They mix inventory with 3rd party prime sellers anyway.

 

[alxlwson]

Good step in the right direction.
Now, do tabletop and TCG's, and I think they'll be on point.

 

[DukenukemX]

I really don't see discrete GPUs coming back to normal prices. If processors have onboard graphics that line up with what used to be a $150 GPU, then they might as well start discrete card pricing at $250 and call it entry level (Well, not counting whatever the current GT 710 equivalent is for the super low end, "i just need to add some video outputs to this workstation" market).

What a lot of people here don't realize is that AMD and Nvidia haven't been making the best GPU's they could make. The RTX 3090 has a memory bus of 384-bit while AMD's RX 6800 XT is using 256-bit. AMD has been really efficient because they aren't even using GDDR6X. Both AMD and Nvidia can go for 512-bit or even HBM memory while utilizing chiplet design. There's a lot of room for improvement here. If you consider that every crypto market will eventually crash then at some point GPU prices will come down hard, especially when AMD and Nvidia release even faster and better GPU's in the future. The problem is not if but when. Prices won't come down this year, and it may take till 2023 before AMD and Nvidia release some really powerful GPU's that will make the RX 6000 and RTX 3000 cards look slow and therefore cheaper. Meanwhile the APU's might be good enough for most people to not care about maximum graphics with maximum resolutions and hundreds of frames per second.